First and cabinet with drawr opening reinforcing frame



Nov. 3, 1964 L. P. MANCINI 3,155,444.

EIRsI AID CABINET WITH DRAWER OPENING REINEoRcINs FRAME Filed Oct. 27, 1961 2 ff I-@ A-5 48 /2 ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,155,444 FEST AID CABINET WTH DRAWER OPENENG RERNFGRCING FRAME Louis P. Mancini, 129 Braidburn Road, Florham Park, NJ. Filed Oct. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 148,153 3 Claims. (Cl. S12-3311) This invention relates to portable first aid cabinets, preferably formed from molded plastic material, wherein the casing of the cabinet is formed with a minimum number of wall to Wall partitions to economize on the structure of the cabinet. VMore particularly, the invention deals with a cabinet structure, wherein all of the walls at the front of the casing are recessed for reception of a reinforcing or supporting frame delining part of the cross-sectional contour of the several drawer compartments of the cabinet.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front view of a cabinet made according to my invention, illustrating the reinforcing frame supported in the recessed portions of all of the walls of the cabinet and illustrating the drawers arranged in the compartments defined by the contour of the frame and part of the walls of the cabinet.

FIG. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of HG. 1 showing the front portion only of the cabinet; and

FIG. 3 is a partial section on the line 3*-3 of FIG. l.

In illustrating one adaptation and use of my invention, I have shown at 1t) the casing of a cabinet of the character defined, the casing having top and bottom walls 11 and 12, side walls 13 and 14 and a back wall 15, note FIG. 3. The side walls 13 and 14 are integrally united with upper and lower partition walls 16 and 17 which are the only partition walls constituting part of the casing of the cabinet. The forward edge portions of the walls 11 and 12 have, ycentrally thereof, notches 11' and 12' extending substantially one-third the length of the walls 11 and 12. Similar notches are formed centrally of the forward edges of the side walls 13, 14, as indicated at 13' and 14'. Further, the two partition walls 16 and 17 are recessed at their edges as indicated at 16', 16"; 17', 17", the recesses 16', 16"; 17', 17" registering with the notches 13', 14'.

At 13 I have shown one of my reinforcing and supporting frames, generally of cross-shape peripheral contour, the frame having rail portions 19 and 2i) fitting in the notches or recesses 11', 12', the rail portions 21 and 22 fitting in the notches or recesses 13', 14', rail portions 23 and 24 litting in the notches 16', 16" and rail portions 2S, 26 tting in the notchesr 17', 17". The frame 18 further includes parallel rail portions 27 integrally uniting the rail portion 19 with the rail portions 23 and 24. The frame includes further parallel rail portions 28 integrally uniting the rail 2t) with the rail portions 25 and 26.

lt will, thus, be seen that, when the frame 13 is arranged in the notches of the several walls of the casing 10 and cemented or otherwise iixed therein to form an integral part of the casing, the complete casing is divided into three upper drawer compartments 29, 3i? and 31, three lower drawer compartments 32, 33 and 34, the compartments being defined by the rails of the frame 13 and the walls of the casing 10. The two series of three drawer compartments are spaced by one horizontally long drawer compartment 35, which is primarily formed between the walls 13, 14 and the partition walls 16 and 17. It will,

thus, beunderstood that the rails 23, 24, 25 and 26 are in alinement with the forward edges of the partitions 16 and 17.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the cabinet or the two series of three drawer compartments are formed in one horizontally long compartment at the upper and lower portions of the casing, in other words, similar to the drawer compartment 35.

Arranged in the drawer compartments 29 to 34, inclusive, are drawers 36, preferably of the same size; whereas, one wide drawer 37 is arranged in the compartment 35. All of the drawers 36 have ingergrip knobs 33; whereas, the drawer 37 has a single ngergrip knob 39. Each of the drawers 36 include-s front wall portions 40 which are set inwardly with respect to the forward edge of the casing 1li and the exposed surface of the frame 18 so that the fngergrip knobs, integral therewith, will be contained within the forward edges of the casing in order that a suitable cover, not shown, can be applied to the casing to close the entire front thereof when the drawers are in closed position. Each drawer 36 also includes a bottom wall 41 integral with the wall 40 and a back wall 42 integral with the bottom wall 41, the back wall being preferably of less height than the front wall 40, as will clearly appear from a consideration at the lower portion of FIG. 3.

The drawer 37 is generally of the same cross-sectional form as the drawers 35, in other words, includes an inwardly set front wall 43, a bottom wall 44 and a back wall 45.

The drawer 37 is guided in its movement inwardly and outwardly through the casing by the side walls 13 and 14. However, to guide the drawers 36 in their inward and outward movement, the partition wall 16 is grooved in alinement with the rails 27, as seen at 46 in FIG. 3, for reception of guide rails or strips 47 projecting suiiiciently to guide the bottom wall 41 of the upper series of drawers 36 in their movement into and out of the casing 1G. The bottom wall 12 is similarly grooved, as seen at 48, for reception of guide rails or strips 49, which are in alinement with the rails 28 of the frame 13.

In FIG. 2 of the drawing, a plan View of a part of the two strips 47 is shown to clearly illustrate their alinement with the rails 27 of the frame 18.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that, by virtue of the method of constructing the cabine-t, the same can be very economically produced, keeping in mind that the casing 1li includes only the two horizontal partition walls 16 and 17. These divide the interior of the casing into three large horizontal compartments. The frame 18 is formed as an independent product and is placed in and secured in the notched or recessed forward edges of all of the walls of the casing with the outer edge of the frame in alinement with the corresponding edges of the Walls of the casing 10. This operation of securing the frame 13 in position is performed after the strips 47 and 49 have been cemented or otherwise fixed in the grooves 46 and 48. It will also be apparent that the several drawers ernployed are of economical construction and, by standardizing on the size of the drawers 36, then only two drawer sizes are necessary to complete the entire cabinet structure.

The cabinet is further of such size as to contain the essentials mostly used in rendering lrst aid treatment such as, for example, sterile bandages, cotton, adhesive tape, finger bands, sterile gauze pads, standard types of remedies for treatment of wounds and burns and such hardware as essential, the latter being stored in the large central drawer 37 of the cabinet.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cabinet comprising a casing defined solely by integral top, bottom, back and side walls and by a pair of horizontal partition walls extending between the side walls and spaced from the top and bottom walls, the horizontal partition walls dividing the cabinet into top, middle and bottom drawer sections, the front of the casing being open, parts of the forward edge portions of the top, bottom, side and partition walls being recessed, a reinforcing frame comprising integrally joined horizontal and vertical rails, portions of said vertical rails being mounted and secured in the recesses of said side walls, all of the horizontal rails being mounted and secured in the recessed portions of all of the horizontal walls, and other portions of the Vertical rails of said frame dividing the open front of the top and bottom sections of the casing into a plurality of drawer receivinfy compartments.

2. A cabinet as defined in claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of the casing and one of the partition walls have drawer guide strips xed thereto in alinement with the last named portions of the vertical rails of said frame for guidance of drawers mounted in the casing.

3. A cabinet as deiined in claim 1, wherein the outer front surfaces of the frame are in alinement with front edges of all of the walls of the casing.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 573,942 Watson Dec. 29, 1896 591,275 Horn Oct. 5, 1897 740,677 Monsen Oct. 6, 1903 1,025,032 Tietz Apr. 30, 1912 1,512,981 Gordon Oct. 28, 1924 1,817,307 Haase Aug. 4, 1931 2,104,214 Vezina Ian. 4, 1933 2,344,800 Butcher Mar. 21, 1944 2,396,393 Seaton Mar. 12, 1946 2,384,296 Meilinger Apr. 2S, 1959 2,999,583 Mancini Sept. 12, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 391,365 Great Britain Apr. 27, 1933 

1. A CABINET COMPRISING A CASING DEFINED SOLELY BY INTEGRAL TOP, BOTTOM, BACK AND SIDE WALLS AND BY A PAIR OF HORIZONTAL PARTITION WALLS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SIDE WALLS AND SPACED FROM THE TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS, THE HORIZONTAL PARTITION WALLS DIVIDING THE CABINET INTO TOP, MIDDLE AND BOTTOM DRAWER SECTIONS, THE FRONT OF THE CASING BEING OPEN, PARTS OF THE FORWARD EDGE PORTIONS OF THE TOP, BOTTOM, SIDE AND PARTITION WALLS BEING RECESSED, A REINFORCING FRAME COMPRISING INTEGRALLY JOINED HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL RAILS, PORTIONS OF SAID VERTICAL RAILS BEING MOUNTED AND SECURED IN THE RECESSES OF SAID SIDE WALLS, ALL OF THE HORIZONTAL RAILS BEING MOUNTED AND SECURED IN THE RECESSED PORTIONS OF ALL THE HORIZONTAL WALLS, AND OTHER PORTIONS OF THE VERTICAL RAILS OF SAID FRAME DIVIDING THE OPEN FRONT OF THE TOP AND BOTTOM SECTIONS OF THE CASING INTO A PLURALITY OF DRAWER RECEIVING COMPARTMENTS. 